Save Me
by CharryWotter
Summary: Hinata has been mistreated ever since his mom and sister died, and volleyball is his escape. What will happen when Kageyama starts to notice what's been going on? Will he set aside their rivalry and help Hinata? Basically the story of Haikyuu with Abused!Hinata. No ships but friendship :)
1. But You Hate Me

I kinda followed the plot of Haikyuu, but not really. I'm currently writing the second (and probably final) chapter :)

...

 _Hinata didn't like volleyball. At least, he hadn't back when he'd first started throwing himself into the sport in middle school. The sport was only an excuse to stay at school, an excuse to return home as late as possible. It helped, too, that he was the only person on the team and, therefore, captain. "The captain has us practicing a lot," was a perfect excuse when he arrived home late at night._

 _His views began to change after the game against Kitagawa Daiichi. That was when the sport started gaining meaning, when all of his halfhearted practice almost paid off._

 _And though he'd intended to join the Karasuno volleyball club to escape his home and his father anyway, when Hinata entered the gym he knew he was right where he belonged._

As he finished the three-on-three game, having won alongside Kageyama and Tanaka-senpai, Hinata felt elated.

"We did it!" Tanaka crowed, pulling his t-shirt off in a flash and waving it above his head in triumph.

Hinata didn't think he could be any happier as he tried his new club jacket on. He winced slightly as the fabric rubbed against one of his many cuts, but he was used to it and shrugged it off.

"You know, it was almost scary how dedicated you were to learning how to receive," Sawamura Daichi remarked to Hinata, eyes glinting. "And you did it. You and Kageyama certainly could use practice, but that was amazing."

Hinata's happiness vanished instantly, and his grin became pained to keep on his face. The truth was, he couldn't have cared less about whether or not Kageyama set towards him. He just didn't want to go home. Luckily, Daichi didn't know about that. Hinata intended to keep it that way.

"Our next practice is Monday morning before school, so make sure to be there early. Congratulations on joining the club!" Daichi continued, this time speaking to all of the freshmen.

Hinata's heartbeat sped up. "Wait, we don't have practice today or anything Sunday?"

Tanaka laughed heartily and clapped Hinata on the shoulder, ignorant of his flinch. "You certainly are dedicated!" he exclaimed, leering as he always did. "As long as you don't forget this strategy by Monday, you're good!"

"I'd say you've certainly earned your break," Sugawara added with a warm smile. "See you on Monday."

"Let's go," Tsukishima muttered to Yamaguchi, and they followed the upperclassmen out the door.

Hinata was left with Kageyama. He cast a hopeful, almost desperate glance at the King.

Kageyama smirked. "As much as I know you need the practice, Sawamura-senpai is waiting to lock the doors."

Hinata turned, and seeing Daichi waiting at the door with the keys in hand, slouched out the door behind Kageyama.

He knew what would be waiting for him when he returned home. His father would be drunk and either brandishing a knife or his fists. He wouldn't aim for anywhere that would show in a t-shirt or shorts, a fact that relieved Hinata slightly.

At least he wouldn't have to be making any excuses up.

Although Hinata knew he should return home, and he was sure that his father would be angrier the longer he waited no matter what lies Hinata made about volleyball, he just couldn't bring himself to willingly enter that hell. Not yet.

Instead, he rode his bike over to the nearest park, missing Kageyama's curious glance as he sped off without a word.

…

 _When Hinata was kicked out of the Karasuno gym with Kageyama, his fear was overwhelming, leaving him hanging at the window looking in._

 _Without volleyball, he would have no excuses for staying out of his house and away from harm._

 _Unfortunately, Kageyama was no help, arguing and snapping at him._

 _Then they were given the chance to redeem themselves with teamwork. The word was new for Hinata. He'd always worked alone, played alone, got through hardship and pain alone._

 _In the days leading up to the game, Hinata worked hard and long for two reasons: so that he would get home as late as possible and so he could win the game and be admitted into the club._

 _Tsukishima's offer to throw the game was relieving to Hinata, but Kageyama's pride was too strong and he ended up making Tsukishima go harder on them._

 _It was only another reason to make Hinata hate Kageyama._

When Hinata reached the park, he dismounted his bike and set it up next to a tree, panting. He plopped down on the bench next to the tree and began to absentmindedly finger a bruise on his knee.

The bruise was not overly large or painful; just one of the many that littered his body. Hinata had become used to the small twinges of pain they sent across his body whenever he moved. It was an invaluable skill that led to him throwing himself completely into jumping, not worrying about the pain of landing.

The worst bruises were the ones on his back, up near his neck. Those had been the most painful to receive, kneeling facing the wall as his father stood above him.

Unconsciously, Hinata moved his hand up to feel one of the areas of raised skin on his back.

He didn't notice Kageyama approach.

When Kageyama sat next to him, Hinata startled; only just managing not to throw his hands up to protect his face.

"…Dumbass," the other boy snapped.

Hinata sulked, crossing his arms. "What do you want, anyway?" he asked after it became apparent that Kageyama was not going to say anything else.

Kageyama ignored the question. "I never would have you pegged as a park person," he remarked instead.

"I'm not a park person!" Hinata protested, throwing an offended glance at Kageyama.

"Why are you here, then?" Kageyama shot back.

Hinata blanched and looked down into his lap. "No reason," he mumbled.

Kageyama responded, but Hinata wasn't listening. Memories were throwing themselves into his line of vision. They reminded him of the exact reason as to why he was sitting alone on a park bench feeling bruises.

A finger snapped in front of his face, and the pictures of violence fled from Hinata's line of vision.

"Are you even listening?" Kageyama was obviously irritated.

"I'm sorry!" Hinata cried, an impulse brought on by the hundreds of times he said it at home every day as he was hurt.

The images returned with a vengeance, and this time, not even Kageyama's snap could get rid of them.

Apologizing furiously, still stuck in his head, Hinata jumped on his bike and rode off.

And once again, Kageyama found himself curiously staring after his rival as he retreated.

…

 _Hinata was surprised to find how he had improved as he passed back every one of Kageyama's hits._

 _He knew that the reason was from all of his intense practice, but it still unnerved him to see that they had been passing the ball back and forth for over fifteen minutes._

 _At some point, the other members showed up, but his focus remained purely on the ball. He began to get tired, but his dad often refused him food and rest, so Hinata easily ignored the burning in his legs._

 _There was one problem._

 _The night before, his dad had gotten more angry than normal. He'd shoved Hinata back into a wardrobe. Of course, Hinata was short from malnutrition, so his head smacked hard into the corner._

 _And now, Hinata's vision was blurry. His head was pounding, and he had to wonder if he had a concussion as he hit the ball once more._

 _Pushing aside pain was second nature, but this was almost more than he could stand._

 _So what kept him going? Fear of failure. If he didn't win the upcoming three-on-three game, he'd be out of the team. Out of the team meant out of excuses to stay away from home._

 _As he spiked the ball with all of his might, Hinata grinned despite the blinding pain. If Kageyama thought he was good enough at receives to toss him a spike, then he had a good chance of winning the game._

 _Unfortunately, his headache also spiked as he landed jerkily._

 _Hinata vomited all over the floor._

On Monday, Hinata tried hard to hide his limp. The lack of practices on both Saturday and Sunday made staying at home a must, and his dad had not been happy.

Hinata groaned. Now he wouldn't be able to wear shorts until the wounds on his legs healed. His father usually wouldn't cut or hit him there, but this wasn't the first time and Hinata knew how much of a pain it was to cover up.

Luckily, it was nearing winter, so no one would question him like they had when it happened in summer.

Quickly changing into sweats, Hinata hurried to the gym.

"We have a practice game tomorrow," Takeda-sensei was telling the members of the club.

"Your persistence is the best!" Tanaka remarked with an enthusiastic growl, and Takeda smiled.

"Come here, Hinata!" Kageyama barked. "We have to practice if we're going to win tomorrow! Aoba-Johsai marked fourth in the prefecture!"

 _So we have no chance of winning_ , Hinata thought as he slowly walked over to the setter. He wasn't unhappy at the fact, only neutral.

"Fine! Let's practice!" Hinata agreed, trying to sound passionate. He was relieved that Kageyama treated him no differently than before.

Hinata groaned. He still couldn't believe that he'd almost broken down on Saturday in front of Kageyama. It seemed that Kageyama had forgotten about it though.

Unknown to Hinata, Kageyama's piercing eyes were analyzing his every move as he walked over. Kageyama had been truly unnerved on Saturday.

Previously, Kageyama was jealous and angry at the shorter boy's obvious skill, but now it seemed that there was more to the story. Hinata had seemed terrified at the park, and his eyes were glazed over.

Now Kageyama was determined to find out what was going on.

Unaware, Hinata took his place beside Kageyama on the court. He hoped that practice wouldn't be too grueling, since his legs were now injured.

If walking hurt, jumping would be even worse.

Hinata didn't dare complain, though. He could survive with the pain. Playing poorly would result in him being kicked out.

Kageyama was ruthless, keeping him jumping over and over and over again. His sets were always accurate, and Hinata's hand began to feel like the rest of his body after a while: beat up.

He couldn't suppress a flinch after landing from yet another jump, and Daichi noticed from where he was acting as setter for Tanaka.

"Kageyama!" the captain called as he hit the volleyball. "That's enough sets for now! Hinata, take a break!"

Hinata shuddered with relief and began to limp to the bench, missing Kageyama's concerned glance.

When practice ended, Daichi walked over to Hinata on the bench. "You know, if you're getting too tired, just say something," he offered. "Try not to run yourself down too much."

Hinata's eyes widened. He'd assumed that strong Sawamura would be angry with him for not keeping up, and kick him off the team. "Right!"

He stood up, still staring in awe at Daichi as the captain left the gym. Hinata began to follow him, but an angry voice stopped him.

"Idiot!"

"Kageyama?"

The setter walked over to Hinata, looking distinctly uncomfortable. "Have lunch with me. We can discuss strategies."

Once again, Hinata was left staring in awe at a receding figure.

….

When lunchtime came around, Kageyama found Hinata and sat stiffly next to him, milk box in hand.

"Where's your lunch?" he asked Hinata after a long pause filled only with his sips of milk.

Hinata's cheeks began to burn. "Where's yours?" he countered.

"I already had mine, dumbass." Kageyama looked Hinata right in the eye. "Did you forget it or something? You can't play on an empty stomach!"

Hinata looked down at his hands. "I always do," he mumbled.

Kageyama dropped his milk with a clatter. He stared at Hinata in shock, face completely wiped of any irritation or anger previously there.

"It's fine." Hinata didn't want to discuss the issue more than they already were.

"But you're so short! And you're practically skin and bones," Kageyama breathed. He'd assumed that Hinata was just naturally built that way. If Hinata really didn't eat, that put things into a different light. "Why don't you eat? Don't tell me you're trying to be thinner."

"Of course not!" Hinata shifted uncomfortably. "There's never really any food in my house." He wondered why he was telling Kageyama the truth, and decided that it was because they were still technically rivals, so Kageyama wouldn't be dewey-eyed and sympathetic.

It was true.

Kageyama cleared his throat and turned to look out the window. "If you want, I can bring you food," he all but whispered.

Hinata turned to him in surprise. No one had ever offered any sort of help to him before, and he had no idea why his enemy would be the first to. "I—I'm fine!" Hinata lied, not knowing how to accept the help.

The bell rang, and Kageyama picked up and threw away his empty milk carton. As he walked away, he called to Hinata, "Too bad, dumbass. I'm not letting your empty stomach mess up our freak quicks."

Hinata had no idea how to respond, but he didn't have to, since Kageyama was already out of the room.

They hadn't even discussed strategies.

…

 _When Hinata was young and he first watched the volleyball game on the TV, he was enraptured. The fluidity of the team, the way they all worked together to win, was something new to him._

 _Hinata didn't really have friends at his school, and he was never allowed to participate in any extracurricular activities. Therefore, he had never seen anything close to a game where people relied on each other and succeeded together._

 _"I've got to play," he whispered to himself, and it became his dream._

 _His dream was what got him through everything. And now he was here, and playing, and it was not quite as glorified, but it was amazing._

Hinata's stomach was killing him as he made his way to the bus headed for the practice game. Right after school, the team had gotten meat buns. Hinata, being starving as he always was, inhaled his.

Now his shrunken stomach was angrily protesting.

 _I ate way too much way too quickly_ , Hinata thought to himself, but immediately put it out of his mind as he greeted the rest of the team.

"We'll defeat Aoba-Johsai!" Tanaka growled as the team boarded their bus.

"Their captain can't play today," Suga informed the team. "So we actually have a good chance."

"Isn't their captain that snooty brown-haired guy?" Tanaka growled.

"Oikawa," Daichi supplied as the bus began moving.

"Oikawa," Tanaka agreed. "I would've loved to see that smug look of his disappear!"

Kageyama frowned. "I didn't know he was Aoba-Johsai's captain."

"You know him?" Hinata asked.

Kageyama only nodded.

Just then, the bus began to pick up speed as it entered the highway. Takeda was determined to get them to the match with time to spare.

Hinata's stomach could barely take the driving.

"Hey, Hinata!" Tanaka roared. "Want something to eat?"

He thrust a pocky stick in Hinata's face. The sight of food only made Hinata's stomach feel worse, and Tanaka seemed to realize it.

"What's wrong?" Tanaka asked.

Hinata knew he couldn't reveal that a single meat bun (which was the only food he ate anymore) was too much for his stomach to handle, so he choked out, "I didn't get too much sleep last night," which wasn't technically a lie anyway.

The bus sped forward, and Hinata's stomach lurched.

"Could I…open the window?" Hinata asked weakly, leaning over his senpai.

That happened to be a bad idea, as he prompty vomited the food all over Tanaka's lap.

Practically everyone in the bus screamed.

…

 _Luckily, Tanaka-senpai didn't stay angry at Hinata for vomiting on him, and Hinata's stomach was more or less settled, so after apologizing many times and helping him clean up, they were back on the bus._

 _The practice game was horrible._

 _Hinata started by vomiting the last of the meat bun (in the bathroom this time, thankfully) and after that, his starved body was so shaky that he even served into the back of Kageyama's head._

 _Even though Oikawa came in near the end of the game, he was only the pinch server, so Karasuno managed to win._

The next day at lunch, Kageyama once again found Hinata. Wordlessly, he handed Hinata a paper bag.

Peering inside, Hinata saw a sandwich, an apple, and a package of Pocky. "I can't take your food!" he protested even as his stomach rumbled at the sight.

"Dumbass," Kageyama answered. "I have my own lunch right here."

Hinata looked at his teammate's bento box and sighed. "Fine. Just—don't make me another lunch. I don't need pitying!"

Kageyama scoffed. "Do I seem like the type of person to pity anyone?"

Hinata looked at the scuffed wood of his desk and shook his head.

"Then drop it, dumbass."

Hinata knew he wouldn't be able to stomach any of the real food, so he ripped open the Pocky as he tried to think of a way to change the topic.

Luckily, Kageyama did it for him. "We'll need to up our game if we want to beat Aoba-Johsai during a real match."

Hinata grinned, noticing the _we_. "I'm sure we can do it!" he crowed, nibbling on a Pocky stick. "We'll take Karasuno to the nationals!"

"It won't be easy, so don't go getting all cocky," Kageyama warned.

The rest of lunch was spent in more volleyball talk as Kageyama ate and Hinata tried to.

When the bell rang, Hinata carefully stowed the lunch in his backpack for later, only having managed to eat two sticks.

Kageyama watched him but did not comment.

At practice, Hinata was feeling better than he had in a while. His dad had passed out in a drunken haze the night before while he was on the bus back from the practice match, so he had no new bruises and had been able to go to bed early.

Also, the Pocky sticks had given him some energy, so he was actually enjoying spiking, easily ignoring his old injuries as they protested.

The whole team seemed to have more spirit as well, partly from Hinata and partly from the recent win.

Everything was going so well that something bad was bound to happen.

It was when they were playing a game, first years and Tanaka against third and second years.

Tanaka's spike (brilliant though it had been) was received by Ennoshita, and it soared over the net.

"Chance ball!"

Yamaguchi received with some difficulty, but successfully sent the ball to Kageyama. Both Hinata and Tanaka ran up to spike.

Kageyama ended up sending the ball to Hinata, and right as the spiker raised his hand to spike it, the manager Kiyoko entered the gym. A gust of wind from outside swept through the room, lifting Hinata's shirt up a little.

Noticing immediately that lots of his bruises and cuts were on display, Hinata forgot the spike. His hand snapped down and pulled at his shirt, covering his torso as he fell to the ground, landing on his bottom.

He looked around as the ball fell beside him, hoping no one had noticed. Unfortunately, all eyes in the gym were on him and everyone was silent.

Hinata laughed nervously, rubbing his neck.

"What happened, Hinata?" Suga's voice was as gentle as always, but there was an underlying note of sadness that made Hinata want to bolt.

"Funny story, actually," Hinata slowly stood up, giving himself some time to think of a believable excuse. "So, the other day I was riding my bike down the hill like gwahhhh! And I started to build up speed and I started losing control and kyaaah! I tried to stop the bike, but ended flying over the handlebars and landing in the road! I rolled the rest of the way down!"

Judging by the way the stunned atmosphere was fading and the way his teammates had started to laugh, they had accepted the ruse.

"You fell off of your bike?" Tsukishima said, hiding a snicker. "Idiot."

"I was hoping you'd gotten into a fight!" Tanaka roared. "I would've had the chance to avenge my kouhai and get into a nice fight!"

"Don't go getting into fights," Daichi admonished, but he was smiling.

Hinata was glad for everyone's obliviousness. The room felt like it was shrinking, though, and it felt hard to breathe when he noticed Takeda was still looking concerned. "I should go now," he choked out.

As he went to leave, a short kid with spiked hair dyed blond at the front came tearing in with an enormous grin on his face. "I'm not suspended anymore!" he shouted in triumph.

"First years, meet Noya, our libero," Suga introduced.

"Ooh! A game!" Noya cried in excitement, seeing the formation of his teammates. "Can I play?"

"A spot just opened up on Tanaka's team," Daichi said, noticing Hinata slip out of the gym.

As Tanaka enveloped the libero in a manly bro hug, Kageyama followed Daichi's gaze. "I should be going, too."

With that, he ran out after Hinata.

…

 _Hinata could faintly remember when his mom was alive, when there was food in the fridge and a smile on his dad's face._

 _That time had been short, and he often wished he had treasured it._

 _Everything ended when Hinata's mom died in childbirth. The baby—a little girl—had died only a few days later when Hinata's dad had neglected to feed her. From sadness or anger, Hinata had never found out._

 _Hinata had been too young to understand what was going on, and he only knew that he missed his mom._

 _It was around that time that his dad started drinking._

 _Everything had gone downhill from there._

Kageyama reached Hinata as he was taking his bike from the bike rack. "Why?" he asked.

Hinata only shot him a questioning look, even as his heatbeats once more felt like they could choke him.

"Why isn't your bike scratched at all?" Kageyama motioned to the spotless vehicle. "If you really fell off it."

"M-maybe I got it fixed," Hinata spat, trying to sound defensive but only sounding pathetic. "You wouldn't know, idiot."

"Why did you seem so unhappy at the park?" Kageyama countered.

Hinata's eyes widened. He had assumed Kageyama had forgotten about that. "I—uh—was nervous about joining the team!"

Kageyama wasn't done. "Why is there never food at your house?"

Hinata could barely find an excuse, with the panic almost taking over. "My dad is just busy!" he said, wincing when his voice cracked.

"I don't like you," Kageyama stated. "But I can't step away and pretend I can't see what's going on here!"

Hinata felt a tear slip out of his eye. In his whole life, nobody had ever noticed—or if they did, they didn't care enough to comment. But he couldn't find it in him to do anything but deny, deny, deny.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Hinata said as more tears began to fall, blurring his vision. He tried to suppress a sob. "I'm fine. I'm always fine." His voice was thick with sadness.

Kageyama clearly didn't know how to respond.

Still trying to stop crying but failing miserably, Hinata climbed on his bike. Unfortunately, his stomach lurched and he clumsily fell off, vomiting his meager snack onto the grass as the bike dropped on its side.

A hand on his shoulder made Hinata flinch, but when he realized that it was only Kageyama, he found himself unconsciously leaning into the touch as he dry heaved.

"You're not fine," Kageyama said stiffly, obviously unused to comforting people. "Let me help you."

When his dry heaves at last slowed, Hinata turned to Kageyama, tears still falling freely from his eyes.

Helping the shaky Hinata stand, Kageyama led him to a tree and they sat against its wide trunk, neither speaking.

It was a while before Hinata's tears slowed.

He sniffled. "K-Kageyama, p-please don't t-tell anyone," Hinata said in a small voice, taking a shuddering breath.

Kageyama looked conflicted.

"I p-promise I'll tell someone if it gets too bad," Hinata pleaded as he wiped his eyes. "I'm okay right now."

Kageyama came to a quick decision. "Fine," he agreed. "I won't tell anyone. But if it gets worse, I won't let you stay like this."

…

In the following weeks, the Karasuno team noticed a definite change in Hinata and Kageyama's relationship.

While before they'd always been at each other's throats, it seemed that they were finally united.

Suga speculated that the practice game at Aoba Johsai had been the reason for the change, and the team agreed.

Nobody knew the truth of what happened, and Kageyama and Hinata intended to keep it that way.

Kageyama continued to bring Hinata lunch, which Hinata continued to struggle to eat. When he finally was able to stomach the whole Pocky box, Hinata cheered as Kageyama looked on approvingly.

Other aspects of their lives were also improved.

Practices became more fun once the pair of freshmen stopped snapping at each other, and Nishinoya's timid friend Asahi agreed to join the team once he was no longer intimidated.

There was little to be intimidated by. In fact, the team hardly had any arguments, besides Tsukishima winding Hinata up as Yamaguchi watched nervously and Kageyama glared.

All in all, Hinata's life started to look up.

That was when everything changed.

...

Cliffhanger! *dramatic gasp*

I was not planning to post this, so if you think it's trash, that's why.

On that happy note, Please review!


	2. Remember Your Promise, Dumbass

Thank you all so much for the reviews, favorites, and follows!

Guests 1-4: Glad you all liked it!

Purpalz Miner (Pearl): Hooray! It's longer now :D

Guest001: Thank you so much! I agree, as amazing as ships are, sometimes they can mess up a good story. The answers to your questions will start to appear…

MaiNaruLover69-san: Here's an update (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ I'm so happy that you love this!

Guest 5: Thanks! :)

GrumpyNerd: You no longer have to wonder!

BanditPonyta: I know what you mean about the horrible, sad loveliness of this fic lol. Also, I was worried that Kageyama was too OOC, so thank you!

KsunaFuji: Thanks and here you go! :)

For this story, I wanted a practice camp. Just picture the one in Season 2 with Karasuno, Nekoma, Aoba Johsai, and Fukurodani. It's kind of like that. Also, it's during the school year (the volleyball teams all have the week off). It was too hard to stay with the exact plot line ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

…

 _"What do you say?" Hinata's dad growled, pulling his arm back._

 _"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Hinata whispered brokenly as he was knocked to the floor by a punch._

 _"I asked for you to make me dinner, not eat dinner yourself!" Hinata's dad began to kick Hinata violently in the stomach as he spoke. "You are not allowed to eat unless I say you can!"_

 _Hinata curled up in a ball as the harsh kicks continued. "I'm sorry," he whispered again._

 _Hinata had known that the food wasn't for him, but he'd just gotten so hungry after only being allowed scraps for the whole week. The eating wasn't even worth it—Hinata had thrown it up shortly after consuming dinner._

 _"I'm not going to be so merciful next time!" Hinata's dad roared, giving one last kick before going to eat._

 _"I'm sorry," Hinata whispered one more time._

Hinata's day was looking up. He had barely any homework, he'd once again eaten all the Pocky sticks, and volleyball practice was going well.

But there was a change, and his day took a turn for the worse.

"You've all worked really hard today," Daichi said approvingly at 7 o'clock, looking around at each member of the team. "Suga and I have talked. He's convinced me that you all deserve a break."

Tanaka and Noya let out a collective cheer, but Hinata's stomach sank.

"Practice can end early tonight, but only if you promise to always work hard," Daichi finished.

"Yes, sir!" the team collectively agreed.

Hinata fought to keep a smile on his face. Practice ending early meant he'd have to go home early. And two hours made a big difference.

Kageyama's sharp eyes had learned to tell when Hinata was hiding what he was feeling, and he nodded once. As the team filtered out of the gym, Kageyama offered, "Do you want to come to my house for dinner? Then you can go home at nine."

Hinata's face lit up. "Really? Thanks, Bakageyama!"

"Don't call me that, dumbass!" Kageyama responded in good-natured irritation.

"I should probably drop off my bike," Hinata said a little nervously. "Do you think it's okay if we stopped by my house so I could leave it?"

"Sure. Whatever."

…

Dinner at Kageyama's had been nice, despite the fact that Hinata mostly pushed the food around his plate.

At nine, he slowly began to make his way home alone. Kageyama had offered to walk Hinata, but he'd refused, not wanting Kageyama to meet his dad.

He thanked his lucky stars when he opened the door and wasn't greeted by his dad. As Hinata attempted to sneak up to his room, though, his dad stepped out in front of him, a terrifying smile on his face.

Hinata flinched.

"Do you have anything you want to tell me about?" His dad leered. "Anything to confess to?"

Hinata knew it would just be best to stay silent.

"I saw your bike and your backpack here. I looked through your backpack."

A shiver ran through Hinata's body.

Hinata's dad held up the brown sack holding the apple and sandwich Kageyama had given him at lunch that day. "I thought you had learned your lesson last time. _You are not allowed to eat unless I say you can._ "

Somehow the quiet wrath was scarier than when he yelled.

"I'm sorry," Hinata all but whispered. It was all he ever said at home anymore.

"I said that I wouldn't be merciful next time," Hinata's dad continued as if Hinata hadn't spoken. He motioned to the orange-haired boy. "And you won't learn your lesson unless I beat it into you."

Hinata tried not to get his hopes up. If he really was only going to get a beating (one that he'd probably get anyway), it wouldn't be too bad.

Unfortunately, his dad pulled something out from his pocket. Hinata stiffened when he saw it was a belt. He'd always wondered if his dad would ever resort to this, and now that it was happening, cold dread pooled in the pit of his stomach.

With every lash of the belt on his back, Hinata wished harder that he could fly away and be free.

….

 _When Asahi the ace and Noya the libero approached Hinata after practice, he wanted to run. The seriousness on their faces was disconcerting. Although Asahi normally looked so worried, Noya never had anything besides a grin on his face._

 _"I couldn't help but notice during practice," Asahi began nervously, "You seemed to have no self preservation. You would go for the ball no matter the consequences to you."_

 _Hinata tried to laugh. "Well, I was just trying to play as well as possible. I'm doing the same thing as you, Noya-senpai."_

 _"That's the problem," Noya whispered. He pulled up the back of his shirt, revealing scars. "I've gone what you're going through."_

 _Hinata knew the conversation was going in a direction he needed to avoid. "Well—I have to leave now. Bye!" He began walking quickly over to the bike rack, reminded of the time with Kageyama._

 _Noya and Asahi let him leave, though._

 _"Just so you know—we're here for you if you want to talk," Asahi called after him._

 _Hinata didn't respond._

When Hinata woke up in the morning, he was fairly sure his back was on fire. Pushing back tears, Hinata dressed quickly, not wanting to even think about his back. It seemed to have scabbed during the night, so blood wouldn't soak through his shirt.

That didn't mean his injuries wouldn't send waves of pain through his body whenever he moved, though.

But staying at home with his dad would be worse than enduring some pain.

Hinata decided to skip morning volleyball practice.

At lunch, Kageyama found Hinata like he always did. "Dumbass," he immediately snapped. "Why weren't you here at morning practice?"

Hinata was about to make an excuse when Kageyama got a good look at him.

"Are you okay?" Kageyama asked, concerned.

Hinata gulped. "I'm fine," he said with his eyes averted, but they both knew that by now, Kageyama could spot his lies.

The setter let it drop, though, setting a paper bag on Hinata's desk as always.

Hinata took one look at it and immediately his dad's voice was filling his head, complete with the burning of the belt as hit smacked into his back. _"You are not allowed to eat unless I say you can!"_

Feeling Kageyama's eyes on him, Hinata opened the Pocky and tried to eat one. After a couple of small bites, the pain in Hinata's back made him put the food down.

It seemed Hinata's dad had taught the rule effectively.

At the end of lunch, when Hinata didn't put the food away, Kageyama motioned to it. "You don't want that? You didn't even really eat anything."

Hinata smiled weakly. "I'm just, uh, not hungry."

"Take it for later then, dumbass."

"I don't want it!" Hinata glared in fear.

Kageyama blinked, obviously startled by the outburst.

"I don't want it," Hinata repeated in a whisper.

Kageyama took the uneaten lunch without any more fuss, but as he left, he said, "Remember your promise."

Hinata felt terrible for the rest of the day, and not because of his injuries.

…

 _"We have a training camp next week," Daichi reported to the team, and everyone cheered._

 _"Goodie," Tsukishima muttered, and Yamaguchi laughed._

 _"Training camps are a really good way to work on skills, and we'll be going against some of the best schools in the prefecture," Daichi said with a glare that shut Tsukishima up. "If you can't make it, then we'll have a serious problem."_

 _"I can't wait to play Nekoma again!" Tanaka growled, and they all thought back to the practice match against Nekoma where they'd lost over and over._

 _Hinata, although happy to be away for his dad for a week, was worried about seeing Kenma Kozume again—or at least, Kenma seeing him._

 _Kenma was too observant, and Hinata didn't want anyone besides Kageyama knowing his secret._

The next day, Hinata showed up at the school with his clothes packed in a bag, ready for the training camp. His back still pained him with each movement, but he'd gotten more or less used to it the way he always did.

Kageyama was there to greet him, looking more concerned than usual. "Please tell me you've eaten something since yesterday's failed attempt, dumbass."

Hinata shifted nervously. He hadn't.

Kageyama sighed and pulled out a box of milk.

Hinata laughed at seeing it, and Kageyama glared at him.

"They're really good, okay?" the setter defended.

Hinata, grumbling, took the box and began to sip from it as they waited for the rest of the team to show up.

Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were the next two to come.

"Never would've guessed, the idiot duo being early," Tsukki smirked.

He was unaware, however, of the nerves he hit. Hinata had been early to get away from his dad as soon as possible. Kageyama had been early due to his worry for Hinata—not that he'd admit it.

Tsukishima, only slightly noticing their defensive postures, continued. "Oh, and look! Hinata's boyfriend gave him a drink! What flavor? Could it be that the King gave Hinata his favorite kind?"

Tsukki reached to grab the milk from Hinata's hand, intending to check the flavor.

"He needs that!" Kageyama growled without thinking.

Startled, Tsukishima's hand stopped in front of Hinata.

Hinata tried hard not to remember why exactly he needed the milk, but the cuts on his back made their presence known loudly. "I don't need that," he mumbled, pushing the milk into Tsukishima's hand. "I'm fine. I'm fine."

Tsukki lost his smirk, confusion filling his face instead as Yamaguchi watched, just as bewildered. They both had clearly expected the usual sarcastic responses. "You can have the milk," he said with a question in his tone. "I was just checking the flavor."

Hinata refused to take the milk back. "I'm fine," he repeated. Just then, Tanaka and Noya showed up. Hinata quickly ran over to talk to them, leaving Tsukishima standing with the milk.

"Idiot," Kageyama snapped. "He needed that."

"It's just milk." Yamaguchi looked over to where Hinata stood. "It's not like he'll die without it, right?"

Kageyama narrowed his eyes, and it was clear he was debating how much to tell the duo. "Wrong."

"What's going on?" Tsukishima crossed his arms.

"I'm not telling you anything else," Kageyama responded. "Just watch him during meals, and you'll have your answer." With that, he walked over to Hinata.

…...

The bus ride seemed to fly by—Hinata didn't vomit again—and so did the warm-up games Karasuno played in the large gym. The rest of the schools were planned to arrive the next day, so the afternoon was filled with some practicing and a lot of messing around.

When dinner came around, Tsukishima decided to watch the small spiker like Kageyama had suggested.

He'd been expecting Hinata to fill his plate like Kageyama, and maybe even race to finish, but it wasn't anything like that.

Hinata barely put anything on his plate, and of that, barely anything was put into his mouth. He mostly pushed it around.

It seemed that Tsukki wasn't the only one who noticed, however.

"I know that training camps can be nerve-wracking," Suga told Hinata from across the table, smiling, "but make sure to eat to keep up your strength."

Hinata grinned widely. "I'll try!" he promised.

Suga turned back to Daichi as Hinata turned to Kageyama.

Tsukki listened to their conversation, straining his ears and tuning out Yamaguchi's mindless chatter.

"Suga's right," Tsukki heard Kageyama quietly say. "You need to eat."

"I know," Hinata said, sounding miserable. "It's just so hard."

"Start with light foods, dumbass. Don't eat the meat yet."

Tsukishima had heard enough, and he didn't listen to the idiot duo for the rest of the meal. It seemed that Hinata didn't eat that much. Whatever. It wasn't Tsukki's business.

Why couldn't he stop thinking about it, then?

Soon enough, distraction came in the form of bathing. The third years went first, followed by the second years.

Tsukki, Yamaguchi, Kageyama, and Hinata were the only ones left.

It was already decided that they would go in pairs, but there was the question of who would go first.

"Hinata and I are first!" Kageyama glared in a challenging manner.

Tsukishima didn't actually care, but the hurried tug on his sleeve let him know that he'd have to fight for Yamaguchi's sake. "No, you idiots can wait. We should be first."

They were at a stalemate.

Neither Kageyama nor Tsukishima would back down.

Finally, Yamaguchi intervened. "Let's just do rock paper scissors."

Kageyama slowly nodded, and Tsukki scoffed.

In the end, Kageyama won with rock, and he and Hinata hurried to go bathe in triumph.

When they were gone, Yamaguchi spoke hesitantly. "Have you noticed something…off about Hinata?" He asked, choosing his words with obvious care.

Tsukki turned to him and nodded.

"It's just—ever since this morning, I couldn't help but look at him more closely," Yamaguchi continued, biting his lip. "And when he moves, he almost looks like he's in pain. I don't know. I could just be imagining it."

"He didn't really eat at dinner," Tsukishima added, enjoying the way Yamaguchi lit up at his unspoken agreement to the pinch server's point.

They stood in silence for the next five minutes.

Yamaguchi was the first to speak again. "I know it's none of my business." He looked nervous. "But I worry about Hinata. He's our teammate."

Tsukki had no idea how to respond. Yamaguchi was much more emotional and caring than him. He decided to change the subject. "We should go see if they're done with bathing yet." He started down the hallway.

Yamaguchi followed without a word.

…

 _When Kenma heard that Nekoma would repeat The Battle at the Garbage Dump in a practice match, he was as apathetic as usual. Volleyball was Kuroo's thing, not his._

 _But then Karasuno filed in._

 _The team was filled with a unique drive, and they didn't lose heart even after they lost the match._

 _There was one person in particular who intrigued Kenma. Hinata Shoyou._

 _They'd already met when Kenma got lost and Shoyou went for a run, but Kenma hadn't known that Shoyou was in volleyball until he saw his jacket._

 _Shoyou was a very good player, and his quick with the setter #9 had been astonishing. That wasn't what interested Kenma, though._

 _Shoyou seemed unhealthily small, for one, and his legs shook when he both jumped and landed. His smile was too big to be natural, and the setter kept shooting him concerned glances, as well as the teacher supervisor._

 _They hadn't really had a chance to talk after the game, which was disappointing._

 _Kenma had been looking forward to speaking to Shoyou._

 _Skip forward some weeks._

 _When Kenma heard that Nekoma was battling Karasuno in a practice camp, he was no longer apathetic._

 _All thanks to Shoyou._

Hinata felt extremely nervous bathing with Kageyama. They wore swim trunks to preserve privacy, but he didn't want to show his back.

At least it was just Kageyama. (Although if this was the beginning of the year, he would've done anything to bathe with anyone who wasn't Kageyama.)

As Hinata pulled off his shirt, he faced the setter, all too aware of his prominent ribs and numerous injuries.

Kageyama's eyes widened slightly. He'd figured out Hinata's secret, but he hadn't had a chance to actually see the horrifying damage until now. "Get in the tub, dumbass," he said, unsure of what to say. "We can't take all night."

"Fine!" Hinata huffed in fake anger. "But you have to come, too, Bakageyama! I'm not waiting for you!"

Kageyama rolled his eyes and smiled faintly.

When Hinata turned to get in, the smile disappeared.

"Dumbass!" Kageyama hated the look of the scabs, though at least they didn't seem to be infected. "What happened?"

Hinata quickly turned around, his face as bright red as his hair. "It's nothing! I'm fine!"

"When did it happen?" Kageyama sat on the floor.

Hinata slowly joined him. "Two nights ago."

"What happened to telling someone if it got worse? Don't say that this has happened before!" Kageyama hoped Hinata had broken his promise. It would be better than him already being used to getting—whipped? He couldn't tell what exactly had caused the injuries.

"It was the first time." Hinata whispered miserably. "My dad found the lunch in my backpack."

"That's why you didn't want lunch yesterday." It suddenly all made sense to Kageyama. He began searching for something to gently clean the injuries with—couldn't have his spiker catching an infection and dying. It wasn't like he actually was worried about Hinata. Nope. Never. "You should've just told me, dumbass. I know it's not your fault."

Tears sparked in Hinata's eyes, and he turned his face away.

Needless to say, neither got in the tub.

….

Tsukishima and Yamaguchi reached the bathroom. Yamaguchi knocked hesitantly on the door.

"Are you idiots done yet?" Tsukki called.

There was a crash from inside the bathroom.

"No! Don't think about coming in!" Kageyama's voice sounded almost panicked, and Yamaguchi and Tsukki shared a glance.

"How much longer do you need?" Yamaguchi asked.

Kageyama cursed. "Why'd we have to go first?" he muttered.

"What are you doing in there?" Tsukishima smirked. "I mean, bathing doesn't take this long."

"We're not bathing!"

Tsukishima wondered why only Kageyama was responding. "Let's just go in," he muttered to Yamaguchi.

Yamaguchi seemed conflicted. "They aren't finished in there, but I do want to get to bed. And they did say they weren't bathing."

"Cover yourselves!" Tsukki said lazily as he opened the door.

The scene he and Yamaguchi were met with was unlike anything they were expecting.

Instead of Hinata and Kageyama drying off or fooling around with the water and bubbles, Kageyama was holding a washcloth and standing behind a shirtless Hinata.

And Hinata…

Tsukishima slammed the door shut, moving faster than he ever had in his entire life.

A tear slipped down Yamaguchi's cheek. "Did you see…?" he whispered.

Tsukki nodded, unable to rid his mind of the image of Hinata's scars and bruises, and especially his scabs. "I've been such an idiot."

"You couldn't have known," Yamaguchi wiped his eyes. "We couldn't have known."

"But we know now." Tsukki glared at nothing in particular. "We know now!" He repeated in a helpless shout.

Footsteps were heard approaching, and Noya and Asahi showed up.

"What happened?" Asahi asked nervously. "We heard a yell, and Daichi sent us to investigate."

Yamaguchi opened his mouth, looking at the closed bathroom door. Another tear fell.

"N—noth—" Tsukki found that his mouth wouldn't obey him.

Noya's eyes followed their gazes to the closed door.

"Hinata and Kageyama," Asahi worriedly said. "Are they okay?"

Yamaguchi nodded. "Kageyama—Kageyama is okay. He's okay." He stared at the closed door.

Noya narrowed his eyes. "What's wrong with Hinata?"

Yamaguchi obviously didn't know how to respond. "His…back."

"You were right," Asahi murmured to Noya. "It's just like you." To Tsukki and Yamaguchi, he said, "Go back to the room. You can bathe tomorrow morning. Don't say anything about whatever happened. Anything you saw is Hinata's story to tell."

Without any further encouragement, Yamaguchi and Tsukishima scurried away.

Neither got much sleep that night.

…

 _Asahi became friends with Noya in his second year when Noya gave him the courage to join the volleyball club._

 _As they got closer to each other, Asahi began to notice little things that other people missed. The way Noya barely ate—coupled with his short stature. The way he'd flinch at raised hands but throw himself around to get the volleyball. How he'd always ask to hang out at Asahi's house instead of his own._

 _After a couple of months, Asahi couldn't take anymore. "I couldn't help but notice during practice. You seemed to have no self preservation. You would go for the ball no matter the consequences to you," he worriedly told Noya after practice one day._

 _Noya turned a bright shade of red. "It's my job! I'm a libero!"_

 _Asahi smiled sadly. "You can trust me with anything. If there is something going on at home, I can help. You could even stay at my house."_

 _Noya's jaw dropped and big, fat tears fell from his eyes. Then he jumped forward and threw his arms around Asahi._

 _The next few weeks were chaos. Noya revealed what had been happening, and Asahi's parents legally adopted him. Noya also decided to tell the truth to the volleyball team._

 _Suga had been sympathetic. Daichi had been proud of him. Tanaka had been enraged that anyone would dare lay a hand on him._

 _After that, Noya felt he could finally breathe freely._

 _And when Hinata Shoyou had come along, he was immediately reminded of himself._

Once Yamaguchi and Tsukishima had fled, Noya tapped lightly on the door. "Are my kouhai okay in there?" he asked.

"Absolutely!" Hinata called, his voice wavering. There was a pause. "Are they going to tell anyone?"

"No, you don't have to worry about them. Their lips are sealed." Asahi still seemed worried. "Can we come in and talk?"

The door opened, and Kageyama poked his head out. "He's getting his shirt on," the setter reported.

A few moments later, Hinata popped up behind Kageyama, the grin on his face belying the worried glint in his eyes. "What do you need to talk about? All I know is that stupid Tsukishima and Yamaguchi barged in on us!"

Kageyama looked from Hinata to Noya and Asahi, clearly gauging the tone of the conversation.

Asahi was the one to respond. "Well, Yamaguchi said something about your back not being okay. I don't know what they saw, but they were both pretty shocked."

Hinata blanched. "My back's fine!" he protested.

"Dumbass," Kageyama snapped. "Remember your promise."

Both Asahi and Noya pretended not to hear the setter's words as they looked at Hinata with concern.

Finally, Hinata sighed. "I know I should tell you guys," he whispered. "I just don't know how."

Noya grinned. "I know exactly how you feel! Asahi helped me when I told the team!"

"Told them what?" Hinata asked, remembering Noya's back from the day after practice. His legs quivered, and he unconsciously leaned into Kageyama.

Nishinoya glanced uncertainly up at Asahi, who nodded at him and smiled. "Told them about the…abuse," he said without his usual conviction.

Hinata fell backwards into Kageyama, sending the setter backwards into the bathroom until he could regain his balance.

"But, I mean, it's not like that for me!" Hinata tried to say. "I'm not being…" He found he couldn't finish. He couldn't bring himself to lie anymore.

"Once you tell someone, it gets so much better!" Noya smiled at Asahi. "It's okay if you're not ready yet, though."

"Make sure not to let yourself get too hurt," Asahi added. "We care about you. The whole team cares about you."

Kageyama stepped over and put a comforting arm around Hinata, who was shaking harder than before. "Do whatever you think is right, dumbass."

Glancing at Hinata one more time, Noya nodded. "We'll see you tomorrow. And remember, if you want to talk—"

"—we'll be here," Asahi finished.

They both walked away.

When Kageyama looked down at Hinata, he could see tears were slipping quietly out of the spiker's eyes as his body shook. He was obviously very upset, and Kageyama decided he needed a distraction.

"Come on, dumbass," he said, moving his arm from around Hinata. "The night won't last forever."

"What do you mean?" Hinata wiped at his tears.

"We need practice if we're going to beat Nekoma tomorrow." Kageyama began walking down the hallway to the gym. "And the gym is unlocked."

Hinata broke into a grin, drawing in a shuddering breath. "Let's go!"

Kageyama knew Hinata would need help telling people his situation. He knew Hinata couldn't last much longer with his dad.

Hinata knew he had to make the choice whether or not to spill his secret. He knew that his body couldn't handle much more pain.

But that could wait until the next day.

For now, setting and spiking volleyballs was all that mattered.

So that was what they did.

To be continued…

…

Well, I guess I won't be stopping at two chapters. I'm assuming this upcoming chapter will be the last one, but who knows how the story will progress?

Please review :)


	3. Shoyou, You Can Do It

Finally, here's the third (and last) chapter! I have been super busy, but I've managed to get it done. :)

Also, I went to a volleyball practice and saw an actual Rolling Thunder! It was the best thing ever!

Thank you all SO MUCH for the reviews!

QuestionablyCapableGhoul: You'll see soon enough if it does *wink*

Nowaki Kamijou: Well, this isn't exactly quick, but here you go!

Purpalz Miner: You make an excellent point. NOW YOU DON'T HAVE TO DIE HOORAY

Guest: Yeah, I didn't want them to be insensitive but they had to be caring :)

TheDeadOne28: Yes so many different possible endings haha. You're right on two of those…

GrumpyNerd: Thank you! I am glad you feel the same feels I felt when writing it :)))))))

RainbowGuardian13: Thanks, I try to keep it as realistic as possible

Kags: THANK YOU SO MUCH! YOU ARE THE BEST! Your many reviews are literally the main reason I wrote again like I'd lose interest in this and I'd turn around and THERE WOULD BE ANOTHER REVIEW! I have decided to dedicate this chapter to you. THANK YOU!

...

 _Takeda had been glad to see that the Haikyuu team had four new freshmen. He'd been worried that the club would slowly fall apart, being the flightless crows and all._

 _Then, even better, old Coach Ukai's grandson Keishin had agreed to be the new coach._

 _Takeda was growing more and more confident about Karasuno's future in volleyball._

 _There was one problem. One of the freshmen caught his eye during the many practices. Hinata Shoyou._

 _He was short and thin like Nishinoya, and he sometimes moved carefully, as if he was in pain._

 _When Hinata's shirt blew up during practice, revealing numerous injuries on his torso, Takeda was almost sure of it. Hinata wasn't being treated right at home._

 _Takeda decided to keep a close eye on him until he knew for sure._

The next morning, things were more or less back to normal.

After a hurried apology to Hinata for barging in on him the night before, Tsukki and Yamaguchi quickly bathed. Asahi and Noya were back to their usual demeanors, although they occasionally shot Hinata worried and curious glances. Kageyama was the regular prickly mother hen, encouraging Hinata to try to eat and shooting glares at anyone who made comments (no one did, but Kageyama glared anyway).

For his part, Hinata tried to move on from the previous night, but questions were swirling around his head. He had no idea what he should do, and he was absolutely terrified.

Kageyama seemed to notice, keeping up a stream of volleyball-related conversation as they prepared for the arrival of the other schools, which Hinata was grateful for.

Around midday, the other schools pulled up in separate buses, and the Karasuno team filed out to greet them.

Fukurodani was the first to show, with the captain Bokuto flying out of the bus the second it stopped. "Hey hey hey!" he crowed, putting his face right in front of Daichi's. "I hope you're ready to lose!"

Akaashi, exiting next with an exasperated expression, dragged Bokuto away with an apology.

Aoba-Johsai was second to pull up, Oikawa confidently stepping out with a smile on his face. "Iwa-chan, look!" he cried to his wing spiker. "The crows and the owls are already here!"

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes with a hint of a smile. "I can see that, idiot."

Finally, Nekoma made it. Like the other schools, the captain was the first out of the bus, pulling Kenma Kozume out behind him.

Hinata quickly looked to the ground, his heart beating wildly. His situation was difficult enough without yet another person discovering what was going on.

Kenma smacked Kuroo lightly, tugging his arm free. He walked over to where Hinata and Kageyama stood. "Hello, Shoyou," he said emotionlessly.

Hinata tried to grin. "Hi, Kenma!" His legs shook slightly, and he leaned into Kageyama, who pretended not to notice.

Kenma, observant as ever, stared at Hinata and frowned slightly. "Are you okay?"

Flustered, Hinata was about to respond, when Daichi called the team over to discuss the schedule.

The captain had never had such perfect timing.

Hinata's back twinged in pain as he turned to huddle with the team, but the pain was nothing compared to the days before. He felt immensely grateful to Kageyama for cleaning his scabs, even if he still didn't understand why the setter had been so kind.

"Okay," Daichi said to the team. "This is it. We'll be against Fukurodani first today, Aoba Johsai next, and finally Nekoma. The penalty for a lost game is to do dives all around the gym."

The team groaned.

Suga smiled. "Don't worry, even if we lose, we'll have lots more games this week to take back the title of victors."

"Well, let's go defeat them!" Tanaka growled, and Noya cheered.

Hinata grinned, hoping that they wouldn't lose. He wasn't sure how his injuries would take the dives, even if the worst ones were on his back.

Kageyama, thinking the same, shot his spiker a concerned glance.

Hinata tried to reassure Kageyama with his smile, but his eyes couldn't hide his fear.

Unbeknownst to them, Noya and Asahi also exchanged worried looks, their eyes sliding from each other to Hinata.

In that moment, all four of them decided silently to make sure Karasuno won.

….

 _As long as he could remember, in the middle of the night, Hinata often woke screaming from nightmares (or actually, flashbacks) about his dad. He would pant, terrified, in bed, hoping that his dad hadn't been woken up from his cries._

 _Luckily, his dad was a heavy sleeper. That coupled with the alcohol he drank kept him asleep during most instances._

 _Once, Hinata wasn't so lucky._

 _His dad barreled into his room, a pocket knife in his hands and raw fury in his eyes._

 _Hinata tried to apologize, but nothing he said made a difference._

 _"You better shut up!" Hinata's dad angrily yelled, slashing open his son's skin. "I'll give you something to scream about!"_

 _Half an hour later, Hinata passed out from lack of blood._

Somehow, Karasuno managed to defeat Fukurodani in their first two games, effectively winning the match.

Bokuto was clearly shocked.

"Thought we'd be easier to beat?" Daichi asked him, smiling triumphantly.

Shaking his head, Bokuto laughed in astonishment. "You would have been easier to beat any other day! Something obviously came over your libero, ace, and freshman setter! I've never seen them play with such determination!"

Still laughing, Bokuto sauntered over to Akaashi, and the two had the team start their dives.

Daichi considered the other captain's point.

Turning to his team, he grinned. "Good job, everybody! We did it!" He shook his head. "Bokuto-san told me we won due to the extreme effort of Noya, Asahi, and Kageyama. Thanks, guys!"

When none of the mentioned people smiled, choosing instead to study other parts of the room, Suga spoke up. "What motivated you? Was it really because you didn't want to do the dives?"

Noya laughed. "I absolutely hate those!"

Asahi smiled sheepishly. "I didn't want to be the one who let the team down."

Kageyama frowned. "I wasn't about to let us lose, either."

Suga could tell that there was more to the story, but he let it drop.

Hinata smiled at the three. "T-thanks," he stuttered, blushing madly.

To the rest of the team, it seemed like he was thanking them for helping the whole team win. But Asahi, Noya, and Kageyama understood that Hinata was thanking them for their effort to keep him from having to do dives with his injuries.

"It was no problem, dumbass," Kageyama responded, embarrassed.

"Anything for my kouhai!" Noya grinned, and Asahi nodded in agreement.

The conversation was broken as Bokuto accidentally dove into the middle of their circle. With laughter and cries of alarm, the team scattered out of his way.

Akaashi paused his dives to pull Bokuto back over to his team.

In the chaos, Noya pulled Hinata aside. "If we lose to Aoba Johsai, and when we lose to Nekoma, it's cool to just make up an excuse to not do the dives."

Hinata shook his head. "I'll be fine!" He didn't want to think about his injuries, not when they'd just won the game and he had finally been able to forget about whether or not he should talk to the team about his dad.

Noya shot Hinata an incredulous glance before retreating to laugh with Tanaka about Bokuto's antics. (The captain had just faceplanted into the floor. It was increasingly clear that dives were not Bokuto's thing.)

Hinata blinked rapidly to keep the tears from falling out of his eyes. He promised himself that by the end of the day, he would tell Takeda and Ukai his situation.

Hinata could breathe much more easily after that.

Half an hour later, Karasuno faced Aoba Johsai with confidence and happiness.

With their extra effort, they knew they could win the match.

Things were definitely looking up.

Until they lost horrifically.

….

 _Ukai Keishin was a pretty cool guy. Sure, he tended to be unorganized and sometimes he didn't know how to take a hint, but overall, he was absolutely awesome._

 _When Ukai became Coach like his grandfather had been, he knew he was in the right place. Ukai found that his style of coaching actually helped the team do better. He was never too harsh; he didn't poke into the teenagers' business; he was fair and easy to talk to._

 _Add Takeda's unending optimism and determination, and the kids were in great hands._

 _Ukai only became worried after Takeda told him Nishinoya's situation. The way the kid acted, Ukai never would have guessed what was going on._

 _He hoped he wasn't oblivious to signs coming from anyone else on the team._

"We…we lost?" Hinata double checked with Kageyama as they lined up for dives.

Kageyama sighed, keeping himself from biting at Hinata. He understood how terrified the spiker must be.

Hinata wrung his hands together. He'd been hoping he wouldn't have to follow the libero's advice. "Noya said I could make up an excuse…" he mumbled, wanting to hear Kageyama's opinion.

"Then make one, dumbass," Kageyama instantly said, looking over at Takeda-sensei and Coach Ukai. "You shouldn't do the dives."

Hinata gulped, walking over to the coach and teacher supervisor. "I can't do the dives," he said, trying to sound regretful.

Takeda gave him a worried look. "What's wrong?"

"Ummmmm…I am super super sore!" Hinata knew his excuse was pretty bad, but he'd just made it up. "And the game tired me out! I need to rest."

Coach Ukai laughed and crossed his arms. "I know that's not actually true. You just don't want to do the dives," he said, and Hinata froze, hoping he hadn't figured out what was going on. Ukai continued. "But that was the agreed penalty for losing the games. Don't be a bad sport. Who knows, maybe this will be your incentive to win the next game."

Hinata gulped, trying to swallow back any oncoming tears. "Yes, sir." He ran back to Kageyama.

Takeda frowned. "Are you sure that Hinata was really making that up only to skip dives? It seemed like there was something else going on."

Coach Ukai looked startled. "Was there? I mean, I felt bad for the kid. I was thinking he just hated dives."

"He seemed really nervous," Takeda explained, watching Hinata start dives with a grimace on his face. "And when you told him no, he looked near tears."

"Well, that's my bad for not noticing." Ukai also trained his eyes on Hinata's dives. His fingers itched to light a cigarette. "It's too late now, though."

"Too late," Takeda repeated thoughtfully.

As Hinata dove to the floor for the third time, he felt almost as if the skin on his back was cracking. On second thought, that probably was actually happening, with his scabs and all.

The force of the dives pulled the skin apart, and he could feel the trickle of blood.

Hinata froze in fear as he dove again and more blood squeezed out of his back. He knew what it was like to lose enough blood to pass out.

"Dumbass," Kageyama turned his head as he dove in front of Hinata. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," Hinata choked out. He dove again.

By the end of the dives, Hinata felt like he could fill a tub with the blood beginning to seep into his shirt and run down his pants.

As Nekoma filed in, getting ready for the match, he made sure he stood with his back facing the wall.

…

 _Kenma Kozume had never been the best conversationalist. He didn't understand how people enjoyed talking back and forth, each having to keep up their side, both listening and adding their own thoughts._

 _Kenma always felt too self-conscious, and he never knew what to say back to people. He would feel put on the spot and judged, and would get quieter and draw into himself._

 _That changed when he met Kuroo, his first real friend. Kuroo never expected responses to his words—he would put a joke or thought out in the open, and Kenma could answer or not._

 _The lack of expectation put Kenma at ease. Sometimes he would drily remark that Kuroo would be the only one who he would ever really talk to._

 _Naturally, Kuroo became slightly jealous when Shoyou came along and Kenma found that he could talk to Shoyou without problems as well._

 _Shoyou was different, though. His enthusiasm and passion leaked into the air, and Kenma felt as if he could absorb it._

 _It wasn't like Kuroo, who didn't need a response. Shoyou needed a response. He just gave off vibes that made it easier to answer. Sometimes it felt like Kenma could physically feel Shoyou's emotions._

 _That was what made it so easy to tell when something was wrong._

Hinata was the last to walk out on the court. As he slowly dragged his feet, hoping the blood wouldn't soak fully through his shirt or drip onto the floor, he wished that he was like Yamaguchi and Ennoshita and could start on the bench.

Takeda immediately noticed his slow trudge, and nudged Ukai. "Look at the way he's walking. Should we start off with him on the bench?"

Ukai narrowed his eyes at the spiker and slowly nodded, but Daichi was already serving the ball over to Nekoma.

Takeda sighed. "I hope he's okay."

The volleyball game seemed to go normally for a bystander. Kenma set the ball to Kuroo, Kuroo spiked, Noya dug for it successfully, Daichi sent it to Kageyama, who set it exactly where he aimed…

There were little differences that only those on the court were aware of.

Kenma was staring at Hinata as he set. Kuroo was so focused on Kenma's change that his spike wasn't as hard as it could have been.

Noya was worriedly squinting at what seemed to be a dark splotch on Hinata's shirt, leading to the ball falling lower than it should have, so he had to dive for it. Daichi picked up Noya's slack, obviously curious what had happened to the libero's extra effort.

And Kageyama…Kageyama set to Tsukishima.

It wasn't against the rules to set to the middle blocker, but for Kageyama, giving up a chance to do the freak quick with Hinata was unheard of.

And what was even more strange, Hinata hadn't jumped for the ball. He hadn't even run across the court to dodge Kuroo's block.

Instead, Hinata had just watched the game play out around him.

The differences added up in the minds of the twelve players. Nobody understood quite what was going on, but they could all tell that something big was off. Therefore, when Tsukki badly spiked the ball over to Nekoma's side, nobody went for it.

The ball bounced on the floor three times before rolling away. Everybody's eyes followed it.

Their attention quickly shifted when Hinata began to sway, his face looking strangely pale. He turned to his setter with dazed eyes, and opened his mouth as if to say something before his eyes rolled up in his head.

Kageyama jumped forward just in time for Hinata to land, unconscious, in his arms.

…

 _The night before the training camp, Hinata could barely sleep, and this time it wasn't because he feared having nightmares._

 _Spending every minute of every day for a week with Karasuno sounded both terrifying and exciting._

 _Hinata couldn't wait to be away from his dad. He looked forward to hanging out with his friends and getting three full meals a day._

 _But the team might figure out about his dad. Hinata wasn't sure how he felt about that. He'd been keeping the secret for his whole life, and it made him feel exposed having even Kageyama know._

 _So what about the whole team?_

 _At the same time, it was a comforting thought, Hinata letting the team know. The team could save him._

 _Hinata hoped that this would be the last night he would ever spend in the same house as his dad._

When Hinata regained consciousness, he was laying on his stomach on a cot in the makeshift infirmary.

Kageyama, Kenma, and Noya were sitting in chairs besides him.

"What happened?" Hinata asked slowly, and all three perked up.

"Good, you're awake!" Noya smiled in relief. "You've been out for the past three minutes!"

"You passed out and Kageyama caught you," Kenma spoke quietly, but his words traveled through the room. "Then he and Noya carried you over here. I followed them out."

Kageyama frowned. "We stopped the bleeding on your back and bandaged it up. You're not playing any more volleyball this week, dumbass."

Hinata gaped. "Do the other know?" He thought about trying to sit up, but decided against it when Kageyama narrowed his eyes at him.

Noya grimaced. "Asahi's talking to Takeda-sensei and Coach Ukai. He agreed to tell them about your injury, but the rest is up to you."

Three sets of footsteps could be heard coming down the hallway, and Noya laughed. "Speak of the devil."

Asahi entered first, looking concerned, and he visibly relaxed seeing Hinata awake.

When Takeda and Ukai entered, Hinata's cheeks began to burn bright red.

Noticing his discomfort, Kenma stood and left, Noya and Asahi following.

Kageyama stayed by Hinata's side.

"Asahi mentioned injuries on your back. Do you need to go to a doctor?" Ukai asked urgently. "Are you okay?"

Hinata looked at Kageyama and shook his head. "I don't need a doctor, but…"

Takeda sat next to Kageyama. "What is it? Remember, you can tell us anything."

Hinata began to draw in quick breaths, and tears formed in his eyes. One slid down his cheek. He wanted to tell them, but he didn't know if he could do it.

Hinata was surprised when Kageyama took his hand and squeezed it. "You can tell them, dumbass. They'll help you."

Drawing in a deep breath, Hinata told himself, _Just say it. Get it over with._ "My dad…he…" He drew another breath, squeezing Kageyama's hand as hard as he could. "He….hurts me." The last part was a whisper.

Takeda nodded solemnly. "Thank you for telling us. I know how hard that must have been."

"We can get your father locked up," Ukai added. "You'll never have to go back to him again."

Another tear slipped down Hinata's cheek. "I won't have to go back?" The realization flooded him, and he began to sob.

With some effort, Hinata sat up on the bed, and Kageyama immediately sat beside him, supporting him from the side.

When Hinata finished sobbing, he felt better than he ever had in a long time.

…...

 _The night after Hinata told Kageyama what was going on at his house, Kageyama approached his parents._

 _"Mom, Dad," he began, "what would you think about adopting?"_

 _His parents exchanged glances. "Why?"_

 _Kageyama shifted nervously. "Hypothetically, if I had a friend who wasn't being treated right, would you adopt them?"_

 _"Does the friend go to Karasuno?" his dad asked._

 _"Hypothetically," Kageyama responded, "yes."_

 _Kageyama's mom smiled. "Well, if your friend told the police what was going on, we would love to adopt them. We were actually considering adopting a second child anyway."_

 _"So if my friend tells someone, he can live with us?" Kageyama asked, hope blooming inside of him. "Hypothetically," he hurriedly added._

 _His parents shared a bemused smile. "Yes. Hypothetically."_

After about an hour sitting and talking with Kageyama, Hinata felt ready to face the team. His bandaged back had stopped bleeding and Kageyama had forced him to eat, so Hinata was feeling much better and not about to faint again.

"Remember, dumbass, it's okay if you don't want to tell the team," Kageyama said as they stood. "Either way, your dad is going to jail."

Hinata took a deep breath. "I know. But I feel like I have to do this."

"Let's go, then."

The whole team was waiting for them in the gym when they arrived. Hinata almost laughed when he saw Kenma had managed to sneak in as well.

"I have something to tell you guys," Hinata nervously said, sitting down in front of his seated teammates.

Kageyama sat next to him.

"We're here for you," Suga reassured, noticing Hinata's hesitance.

Hinata nodded. "I've been…abused at home my whole life," he said in a rush. Hinata had never said the words aloud, and it was both exhilarating and frightening. Once the words had come out, he felt like he couldn't stop. "I didn't know how to tell you guys but I wanted to and now here I am and nobody's ever known before, you guys are the first and—"

"It's okay," Kageyama stopped him before Hinata could get too worked up.

Daichi smiled a tight smile at Hinata. "Thank you for telling us. I'm sorry you've gone through that, and I'm proud that you decided to say something."

Suga gave a worried face that was just like Takeda's had been. "If you need, you can skip practice until your wounds heal. And remember to come to us if anything else happens."

Asahi smiled nervously. "I'm glad you found the nerve to share. Thank you."

"Remember, I'll kill anyone who hurts you! Just say the word!" Tanaka growled.

"I'm so happy for you, Hinata!" Noya grinned. "You're free now!"

Tsukishima looked to the ground. "I'm sorry."

"We're always here for you!" Yamaguchi smiled comfortingly.

Hinata felt ready to cry again. "Thank you guys," he choked out. "Thank you all so much."

Karasuno had yet to make it to nationals. They were still the flightless crows.

But right then, Hinata knew that Karasuno was the best volleyball team ever.

…

The next day, Coach Ukai kept the Karasuno team on its schedule, making them play once more against the three other schools, while Takeda took Hinata to the police station.

After answering many questions and having pictures taken of his numerous injuries, Hinata was quietly crying in Takeda's comforting arms.

The police assured him that his dad would be locked away for many years, and then they told Hinata that he wouldn't have to enter the foster system.

"Why not?" Hinata asked in surprise. He didn't know whether to be worried or happy.

The police explained that a family had talked extensively with them and after some background checks, had been cleared to adopt him.

Hinata's jaw dropped when Kageyama and his parents entered the room. "Really?" he asked in excitement.

"You're my brother now, dumbass," Kageyama told him.

Kageyama's parents introduced themselves and told him a bed was already set up for him in Kageyama's room, since they'd been planning to adopt another child anyway.

Hinata couldn't stop thanking them.

Then, since Hinata was too injured to play volleyball and Kageyama refused to leave his side, they decided to return home and get Hinata set up in his room.

In the afternoon, Kageyama and Hinata discussed volleyball strategies at their house and even found a volleyball movie, which turned out to be hilarious.

When it got dark and he and Kageyama crawled into their beds, Hinata felt safe and content.

He didn't have a single nightmare that night.

THE END

...

I'd love to hear what you guys think! Please review! :D

Also, if you like the Devil is a Part-Timer, you should go check out my story where Urushihara gets de-aged!

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